Shinigami-cat: Well... I OWN NOTHING!
Welcome to weeping trees
It was about ten past seven when Arthur had gotten to the Vargas house. Outside were police and pretty much everyone else. Lovino looked really distressed. "I don't fucking know why he would run away! He had no fucking reason to run! Everyone fucking loved that idiot! Fucking look for him already!"
Antonio sighed and held Lovino. "It's okay Lovi... We'll find him eventually... You know we will."
Lovino pushed Antonio away and stormed off back into the house. Arthur frowned and walked up to Antonio. "So what the hell is going on?"
Antonio turned to Arthur and frowned. "Feliciano is missing."
Arthur gasped. "What? Where is he? Was he kidnapped?"
Antonio shrugged. "If we're lucky he's kidnapped... if not..."
"What do you mean if we're lucky?" Asked Arthur. "It's bloody unlucky to get kidnapped!"
"Well when considering what the alternative is... Being kidnapped would be paradise." Muttered Antonio. "At least there would be some chance of being able to bury something... Instead of attending an empty coffin funeral like so many times before..."
"What do you mean?" Asked Arthur.
Antonio chuckled darkly. "Have you ever been to the local cemetery? There are more coffins then bodies buried there."
Before Arthur could say anything Francis appeared next to Antonio. "Hey Antonio where's Lovino? I wish to offer my condolences. It's always terrible when a younger sibling dies... Monika..."
"He isn't dead." Said Arthur. "He's just missing!"
Francis chuckled and patted Arthur on the shoulder. "That's so cute! You think Feliciano's still alive. Arthur in this town if someone is 'missing' that's just code for dead."
Arthur frowned. "Wait what are-"
"Dude!" Called Alfred. "Get over here! We're joining the search party!"
Antonio nodded. "I'll get Lovino..." As he walked into the house Arthur frowned. Were both murders and disappearances common here?
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They split up into two groups; Arthur, Lovino, Gilbert and Antonio were one group and Matthew, Francis, Alfred and Ludwig were another group. They were walking through the bushlands looking for anything and everything that could help.
"Where the fuck is he?" Hissed Lovino. "Why haven't we found anything yet?"
Arthur sighed. "Lovino... We've only been looking for an hour. I know you are worried but we will find him."
Lovino's lips twitched slightly into a small smile. "Thanks bastard..."
"But what exactly are we searching for?" Asked Gilbert.
Lovino glared at Gilbert with pure hate. "What did you say?"
Gilbert sighed. "Look Lovino. I'll miss Feliciano as much as the next guy but what can we do? There won't be any tracks or any evidence... there never is. How can looking for Feliciano now be any different from when we were looking for Monika then?" Arthur frowned. What on earth was he talking about?
"Don't say that!" Snapped Lovino.
Gilbert sighed and looked up at the sky. "We're never going to see Feliciano again are we? Like all those children who came before him... Vanished without a trace..."
Lovino growled grabbed the front of Gilbert shirt. "SHUT UP! SO WE SHOULD JUST STOP LOOKING? IS THAT IT? ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM? IS THAT IT?"
"You know that's not what I meant." Said Gilbert.
"Hey stop it!" Said Antonio. "You two shouldn't be fighting! Just stop it!"
"HE DOESN'T CARE AT ALL ABOUT FELICIANO!" Screamed Lovino.
"Lovino." Said Gilbert. "You know Feliciano would never walk into the bush of his own free will, not even if he was sleepwalking. If it wasn't Feliciano it could have been you! To just vanish without warning, without reason. To leave everyone else behind... wondering if your very existence was just a dream... That what we saw and what it seemed was but a dream... A dream within a dream."
Arthur rolled his eyes. He didn't feel like dealing with those idiots so he walked a little further ahead. He walked into a small clearing. The trees stretched up high into the air creating a kind of dome. It was beautiful just like a cathedral. Suddenly something warm hit his face. He frowned and rubbed some of it off. It was warm, sticky and red.
Arthur's blood ran cold. "COME QUICK!" Cried Arthur. "THERE'S BLOOD ON THE TREES!"
Suddenly Antonio, Gilbert and Lovino ran to him. They looked up at the trees and frowned.
"Arthur... this isn't blood." Sighed Gilbert. "Its tannin or the lifeblood of the tree."
"What?" Asked Arthur. "But it looks so much like blood..."
"Yeah..." Said Antonio. "That's why they call this eucalyptus weeping trees.' They say that they are actually the lost souls of those who have vanished in the bush turned into trees. Others think that the trees grow where people have died or were murdered."
Lovino looked down as tears fell down his face. "'Lost souls' huh? How appropriate... When I heard Arthur yell that he found blood I thought... Fuck. Real blood wouldn't have been that bad. It... it could have given me some kind of fucking closure God damn it!"
"So this is it huh?" Asked Antonio. "I heard them say that the police are going look for one more week then they are going to call off the search... and then this town and these bushlands will hold their secrets forever..."
"Just what the hell is supposed to be out here?" Asked Arthur. "How the hell can you be so damn sure that Feliciano is gone?"
Lovino shook his head. "You still don't know? You're fucking stupid."
"Hey it's not my fault that no one tells me anything!" Snapped Arthur. "You all just tell me not to worry or to just forget about it!"
Gilbert chuckled darkly. "There are lots of things out here... There's dingos for starters... snakes... bunyips...mermaids... spirits... all kinds of things out here..." He sat down on a rock and rested his chin against his knee. "People used to say that this town belonged to the night spirits because all the murders and disappearances happened at night. Apparently no Aboriginal that had ancestors that lived near here will come here because this place is haunted."
Arthur frowned. "What? What is this place haunted by?"
"Fucking night spirits." Growled Lovino. "When it's dark the whole town belongs to those fuckers. Some people think that night spirits are the reason that children keep turning up dead."
"Not just any people." Muttered Antonio. "The children from the three grate families usually end up murdered. Any other child ends up disappearing."
Arthur nodded. "But those are just stupid children's stories. Night spirits don't exist. That's just nonsense."
Lovino clenched his fists. "Fuck you Arthur. I can see why no one told you about all this shit before. We knew you wouldn't believe us. Fuck you!" Lovino turned and ran. Antonio and Gilbert quickly ran after the Italian and grabbed his arms. "LET ME GO! I FUCKING HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU ALL!"
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Later that day Arthur decided to visit the local cemetery. It was quite unnerving walking through the rusted, partially broken fence to get to the weathered, worn out tomb stones. He walked over to some of them and began to read. He frowned. It was an empty grave of a Norwegian boy who disappeared seven years ago. He looked at another grave. It was the empty grave of a Danish boy. Over fifty graves were like that.
Arthur ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "This can't be real... How can there be so many empty graves?" As he walked further to the back of the cemetery he heard singing.
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch this city burn the world
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
As Arthur turned a corner he happened to see some mausoleums. Briefly distracted by them he took some time to view them. He recognised the Kiku family mausoleum so he assumed that the other two belonged to the Vargas and the Beilschmidt's. They must have been living in Fever Lake for a long time to have these here.
My body doused in ash with two empty cans of gas
The only evidence they have is a police sketch of my mask
And it's hard at times to ask if you could save my heart for last
And it's hard to face the facts when the darkness fades to black
It's not just make believe, when they make me take a seat
And they put amphetamines in the air and make me breathe
So come on and grab your children, look out for burning buildings
And villains who pillage, they're killin' by the millions
And billions of people die for a lost cause
So now I pray to my nation destroyed under God
It's the end of the world
All my battles have been won but the war has just begun
He turned away from the mausoleums and went back to looking for who was singing. He was getting closer.
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
The city looks so pretty do you wanna burn it with me?
Till the skies bleed ashes and the fuckin' skyline crashes
They catch us with the matches and ignite the flame
And all the hopes of a youth deemed fuckin' insane
They say take the pill, in God we trust, go and kill
God loves us as in life, as in death, breathing till there is no breath
I will not die in the night but in the light of the sun
With the ashes of this world in my lungs
Arthur continued to walk until he saw a mess of blond hair sticking up from behind a tomb stone.
But who am I to say let's all just run away
Grab your saints and pray and we'll burn this world today
It's the end of the world
As in Heaven, as in Earth, we've been dead since our birth
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch it burn
Arthur walked crouched down and peeked behind a tomb stone. He frowned. Matthew was sitting with his back against a tombstone with his eyes closed. He and a small smile plastered to his face and his polar bear in his lap.
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
The city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?
We'll use the trees as torches, do you wanna burn it with me?
We'll flood the streets with corpses, do you wanna burn it with me?
We'll watch the city fuckin' bleed, do you wanna burn it with me?
And bring the world to its knees, do you wanna burn it with me?
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn
Let's watch this city burn
From the skylines on top of the world
Till there's nothing left of her
Let's watch this city burn the world
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch this city burn the world
When he was done singing he opened his eyes. They seemed duller than usual. He sighed and buried his face in his polar bears fur. Arthur frowned and walked over to him. "What the bloody hell were you singing?"
Matthew looked up at him and smiled. "Hi there Arthur... I was just singing City by Hollywood Undead. It's a good song. What are you doing in a place like this?"
Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "I came here because Antonio said something weird and I wanted to check it out."
Matthew tilted his head. "This wouldn't be about the empty graves would it? There are lots of them here you know. Whenever the monster is hungry it will reach out and feed on those with weak minds... People prone to insanity, possession and so on..." He began to giggle. "Once it has you it will only let you go when it wants to!"
"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Asked Arthur.
Matthew looked up at him with mad eyes and smirked. "They already told you Arthur! They already told you! But you didn't listen! You never do! Why don't you listen! There's something out there but you don't care!"
"Shut up!" Snapped Arthur. "What are you doing here? Besides singing some creepy song about burning everything!"
Matthew giggled and stood up. "My friends are here. See everyone in this place is my friend... Well the children anyway... I'm not allowed to make friends with the adults... They never stay around long enough to become my friends anyway."
Arthur nodded. "Okay then... I really need to stop talking to crazy people..."
Matthew chuckled. "Okay Arthur. But I really need to ask you something important."
Arthur frowned. "What?"
"Do you want to burn it with me Arthur?" Asked Matthew innocently. "Use the trees as tortures? Fill the streets with corpses? Till the skies bleed ashes and the skyline fucking crashes? Come on Arthur... Let' watch it burn. Let's watch the whole town burn to the ground... I'd like that and so would my friends."
Arthur frowned and shook his head. "You have a screw lose you know that right?"
Matthew nodded and giggled. "Yep. I know but I don't care! Not like sanity matters much here anyway! This place is filled with psychos! Haven't you noticed? Francis killed Roderich and Elizaveta! Then he tried to blow up the school!"
Arthur's eyes went wide. "How did you know about Elizaveta and Roderich?"
Matthew stopped smiling and pulled a face as if in deep thought. He looked back at Arthur and stood up. He had a freaky smile across his face. "Oops! I shouldn't have said that! Let's keep it a secret between us okay Arthur? I don't need Francis or Gilbert to get mad at me! I kind of like my head attached to my neck."
Arthur took a step back. "Francis wouldn't do that and Gilbert wouldn't kill someone."
Matthew chuckled and grabbed Arthur's arm. His eyes seemed dark and deadly. "You have no idea." He growled. "You have no idea what any of us are capable of Arthur. Francis is a murderer and Gilbert's hands aren't clean either. Neither are Feliciano's or Lovino's. Everyone in this town has something to hide."
Arthur tried to pull his arm out of Matthew's grip but he was too strong. "Bloody hell! Let me go!"
"We all have something to hide! Remember you're a murderer too! You killed your father in cold blood! No one here is free from this... this unforgivable sin. We are all cursed! Everyone here is condemned to death!"
Arthur quickly swept his foot under Matthew's leg knocking him to the ground. But Matthew held on tight and pulled Arthur down with him. After some struggling Matthew was sitting on top of Arthur. He was holding Arthur's arms out to the side and giggled. Arthur was not amused. "GET OFF ME YOU WANKA!"
Matthew smirked. "Why don't you believe us?"
"Huh?"
"We told you what was out there." He whispered. "But you don't believe us because you can't see them... Why can't you see them?"
"See what?" Growled Arthur.
"The night spirits." Said Matthew. "We told you that they were here but you don't believe us. You say that they are childish and not real. But you can't see the wind yet people say it's real. You can't see cells or atoms with just your eye but people know they are real. What do you believe in? Do you believe in fairies and unicorns?"
"Of course I do!" Snapped Arthur. "They used to talk to me all the time back in England! But there's nothing like that here!"
Matthew smiled. "You're right. There isn't anything like that here. We don't believe in those kinds of things. But when we talk about night spirits you just shrug it off and say that it's not real. How is that possible? Why can't night spirits be real?"
"BECAUSE THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS NIGHT SPIRITS!" Screamed Arthur. "NIGHT SPIRITS ARE NOT REAL! STOP SAYING THAT THEY ARE!"
Matthew giggled. "You really are stupid. You realize that you've just made them mad. Now whatever happens to Feliciano will be your fault. If he turns up dead it will be because you made the spirits mad."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "So the night spirits can hear us in the day time too?"
Matthew nodded. "They aren't strong during the day so they keep to caves, shadows and watery places. But they do wander the bushlands during the day listening to what we have to say. They are just stronger at night and dark places. They heard you Arthur. They heard you and now they are angry."
"HOW THE BLOODY HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?" Screamed Arthur.
Suddenly Matthew got up and walked away. "I have to go." He muttered. "I have stuff I have to do... If Feliciano dies it's your fault... All your fault Arthur... All your fault..."
Arthur quickly got up and dusted himself off. "Fucking crazy... This place is fucking crazy..."
TBC
Shinigami-cat: Interesting huh? Everyone thought that Feliciano was Lovino! Please review!